Personal & Permanent
by Genkai-chan
Summary: Potts was the last person Stark would think to have tattoo but she did have one, the question was where & why. He might believe her if she mentioned she was sort of drunk at the moment when she heard the zing and felt the sting. A long one shot of Pepperony during IM1, both have feelings and hesitations but somehow a regret brings them closer together as danger looms overhead. R&R.


**Title:** Personal & Permanent (aka: you have a what where?!)

**Summary:** Pepper Potts was the last person Tony Stark would think to have tattoo but she did have one, the question was where and why. He might believe her if she mentioned she was kind of sort of drunk at the moment when she heard the ziiing and felt the sting. She would forever have to work at Stark Industries now. And maybe working there wasn't so bad, even if your boss sexually harasses you on a near daily basis.

**Fandom:** Iron Man 1

**Pairing:** Tony Stark & Pepper Potts

**Genre:** Romantic, Dramatic & Comedic

**Rating:** R for language, mild-mature sexual content & adult references

**Word Count:** 3956

* * *

Alcohol was involved.

It had to be involved for it to have happened…

The night Pepper Potts got a tattoo on her ass.

It wasn't just any tattoo either…but it was one no one would ever see and one that would seal her fate. Pepper Potts had been working for Tony Stark for only about three or four years and by that point, she was just down to one or two friends who could fit into her busy schedule. The rest had given up when their friend had constantly had to cancel dates and shopping sprees. Pepper had a nice income but alas, had no time to spend even a penny. That afternoon Pepper took off early and went back to her cozy apartment and changed into something less formal and more sexual. Instead of her usual suit, she had on tight blue jeans, a black cropped tank top and a white leather jacket, Her light colored hair was pulled back into a tight high pony tail and after applying a layer of mascara and lipstick, she ready to greet the night life which she missed so much.

Her friends picked her up and they headed off for a movie and then dinner. That was only the beginning of a long night. The three women roamed the streets, popping into the club or bar every so often to have a drink or dance with someone. It was very rare that Pepper got to show her wild side as she was always working and trying to tame the ever so wild, Tony Stark. So this was her night to let it all go. For that, she was very thankful that she had agreed to go out, it had taken a lot of coaxing from her friends. And now she was taking shots and dancing with her friends. And for a while, she was really enjoying herself. There weren't any regrets, nothing hanging over her head. She had even left her phone at home so she wouldn't be bothered by any of Tony's midnight cravings. Sometimes he would call her up at one in the morning and ask her to bring him pepperoni pizza or cheery pie.

But tonight she would tend to her own needs, no someone else's.

After the trio of women had stumbled out of the bar, Pepper looked across the street at a yellow neon sign which read: Tammy's Tattoo Parlor. Pepper hooked her arms around her girls and quickly trotted across the street. "We should all get tattoos, make this night unforgettable." Pepper suggested.

"We should." Her friend agreed.

"Totally, but what should we get?" Her other friend asked. "I know what you should get." She poked Pepper's bare stomach. "You should get that stupid thing…you know…" She leaned over and whispered something in Pepper's ear.

"What? Noooo." Pepper blushed.

"Aw c'mon…make it official already. You know it's truuuue." She laughed and then told their other friend her suggestion who just laughed too.

"Yeah do it Pepper. It'll be hilarious."

"Okay okay fine." Pepper held up her hands, finding it easier to give in than to listen to them go on and on. She paid the fee and drew the tattoo out that she wanted. Tammy, a blond tan woman, knew just what to do and it wasn't long before her two friends were on either side of Pepper who was laying down. They were holding her hand while Tammy started to apply some rubbing alcohol to Pepper's right ass cheek. The personal assistant breathed in and was handed a shot of vodka before she heard the ziiiing and felt the sting. It hurt initially but as the design was being applied, Pepper could only wear a dim smile as she tried not to giggle and mess Tammy's work. About thirty minutes later and the work was completed. The three friends took cabs home and Pepper dragged herself into bed and went right to sleep.

The next morning her head and her ass hurt.

She knew why her head hurt and her bank account hurt but her ass was another topic altogether.

Pepper got up and went to shower and though she was sluggish, she managed to find herself running on schedule. Getting out and getting dressed, she had yet to notice her newest permanent accessory. She just headed off to work, assuming she hit her ass last night dancing or something and it wasn't for another week that Pepper Potts found out what she had done to herself that night on the town. So when she came into work after discovering her tattoo and Tony asked what was wrong, she just blurted out, "I have a tattoo and I don't know how it happened." She muttered as she drank her coffee. Tony watched her and seemed to lean in closer as if he had suddenly developed see through vision. "What?" Pepper caught him staring.

"Well maybe I can help."

"How can you help?" She asked him.

"Maybe if you show me…I mean you show so little skin, there's plenty of places it could hide." Tony commented. Pepper just gave him a deep glare and hurried out of the room. The rest of the day Pepper made herself just as scarce which made Tony drop the subject entirely. A few years passed and it was never brought up again at least until Tony was with Rhodey. The two boys were on a plane headed to Afghanistan to show off Tony's new Jericho Missile. "So what do you think about girls with tattoos?" Tony asked his buddy as they were handed another hot cup of sake each. Tony took a sip and the black man shrugged.

"I don't know, they're alright. It depends."

"Potts has one."

"A tattoo?"

"Yeah."

"Really? What is it?" Rhodey asked.

"I don't know, she won't talk about it." Tony finished his sake in two big gulps and patted his stomach which was filled with warm sake and potstickers. "I really am curious though. She doesn't seem like the type to have one."

"Drunken mistake I bet." Rhodey finished his drink as well.

"Potts doesn't seem like the type to drink either…" Tony muttered.

"I bet she used to be really fun before she came to work for you. How ironic is that Tony Stark has sucked the fun out of somebody's life?" Rhodey laughed as they started to descend down into their sandy and dangerous location. And it wasn't for a few months before Tony could laugh with his friend again. After being held captive and breaking free, the memory of Pepper's tattoo faded into a far background of his mind. Instead of wanting to become Sherlock Holmes and solve the scandalous case, he focused on the redhead and her smile, her deep blue eyes often filled with concern and annoyance. Pepper was so pretty, he couldn't imagine her inking her body and so for a while he forgot and tried to figure his own life out. He had been doing so much wrong without knowing it. Or maybe part of him did know it but just refused to acknowledge it.

He was back and trying to build a better suit, trying to become a better man.

He didn't even realize that Pepper Potts was the one lifeline he had still, aside from Rhodes, and he needed to do something for her. In his mind, that something was showing up at a party and making her dance with him while she was wearing a stunning blue dress which had apparently been his birthday present to her. Lovely. He leaned in as they talked about his social security number and how he needed her. He then remembered another topic that could break the ice, get her to roll those pretty blue eyes at him. Or maybe she'd finally confess to her nosy boss. "So this tattoo of yours…" He moved his hand from her waist down toward her thigh. "Am I getting closer?" He asked. Pepper glared and he took that as a no and moved it toward the small of her back.

"I need some air." Pepper blurted out and Tony took her hand and just headed off toward the roof. And that night didn't go so well either, as Tony Stark ended up leaving Pepper to go attend to some new found superhero duties. So Pepper headed home alone and tried to once again scrub her horrible tattoo off but of course, it wouldn't. A short amount of time passed before the woman walked in on Tony trying to remove his armor. "Are those bullet holes?" She stepped closer as the machines kept trying to get the heavy armor off of the billionaire.

"Okay this isn't the worst thing you caught me doing." Tony brushed her concern off but even that reached through the thick armor which was now being a pain in the ass. Pepper stood by and waited for him. It took almost an hour but the armor was off and being repaired thanks to JARVIS. As soon as Tony could sit down and put a cold pack to his head, Pepper rushed over to him and put her arms around him. "Hey…Pepper…what are you doing?"

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Pepper muttered and found her words muffled from the angle but also the tears that threatened to roll down her flushed cheeks. "Why are you doing this to me? Don't you know that I've worried for so long about you? And when you come back…I don't know what's gotten into you." Pepper pulled back. Tony looked up to her and set his medical items aside and pulled her into his arms. She sat down on his lap and looked at him. "What's going on? Why do you think you have to save everyone when you can barely save yourself?" She whispered.

"You can save me." He whispered back and cupped the side of her face. It was so smooth, so soft, so pure, so much unlike him. "You do, everyday, Pepper." He said before she could say anything else. "I ask a lot, I know I do and I wish I didn't but you're amazing." And then he remembered Rhodey's words. That maybe Pepper had a life, had fun, had people to be with before he stole her away. He looked down. "You don't have to stay…"

"What?"

"You've been by my side for so long, Pepper. I wouldn't be surprised if you want to leave, that you've had enough of me. I've had enough of me." Tony set her down in front of him. Pepper knelt down and put her hands on his sore knees. "You're the most important person in my life. I don't think you're happy here…with me."

"I am. I really am, but it's hard to be when you try to get yourself blown up all the time though." Pepper looked up to him, trying to catch his coal colored eyes with her own sapphire ones. "Tony, I'm here, I'm right here with you, okay? I'm not going anywhere as long as you're alive and safe." She got to her feet and brought his head to her chest and kissed his head. "Please don't kill yourself, I'm not sure I'd be able to save you then."

"I'd already be dead, Pep." He laughed a little and pulled back and Pepper reached over for the ice pack and set it on his shoulder. "Ow…cold!" He protested but she shut him up by applying a bit more pressure. And so that night, Pepper stayed over. The two ordered Chinese food, the usual order, and sat in the living room. Obadiah didn't show up which ave the couple the privacy that had been absent ever since Tony had come back from captivity. After dinner, Pepper cleaned up and Tony actually offered to help. Though his offer came near the end of cleaning, it was still appreciated. The two returned to the comfortable leather couch and Tony draped an arm over Pepper and leaned in. The moment where they didn't kiss flashed before his eyes as if were only hours ago. "I should have kissed you. Or rather you should have kissed me." Tony blurted out, breaking the mood. Pepper leaned away and looked at him. "You know, that night a while ago?"

"I know exactly which night you're talking about, the night you were getting me a drink and ditched me in the cold. That night you think I should have kissed you? You didn't seem interested. I was the only one leaning in. Why didn't you kiss me?" Pepper asked him. "You were flirting with me up to that point and just pulled back."

"You asked for a drink." He huffed.

"Yeah I needed one. Seems all of my mistakes have to do with drinking." She muttered which made Tony remove his arm from her. She glanced to him and sighed. She didn't mean to hurt his feeling if she did, though it didn't apply to him. They never mixed drinks together really. "Sorry." She just said, not knowing what else to say. She stood up and decided she should just go home, as Tony's injuries seemed healed up. Tony also stood and leaned in.

"Maybe I won't pull back this time. Maybe you should try kissing me again, Ms. Potts."

"Maybe you should kiss me." Pepper retorted as his hands rested on her sides, keeping her from going anywhere.

"Maybe we should both kiss each other." Tony dared, eyes locking with hers.

"Deal." Pepper said and that was all that needed to be said as their lips met. Pepper leaned in and so did Tony. His arms moved around her slim form, pulling her up against his body. Pepper slipped her arms around his shoulders, letting her fingers comb through his dark hair. Tony deepened the kiss and used his body to move them back to the couch. Pepper sat back and Tony laid them down, getting on top of her. She broke the kiss and moved her lips to his neck while his hands moved up her sides, trying to remove her blouse. Pepper nipped at his neck, her hot breath and his melting together, making one hell of an aphrodisiac. "Tony…Tony wait." Pepper pushed him back slightly just as his hands had finally found flesh to touch.

"What?" He looked down at her and licked his lips. He couldn't do much more waiting to be honest.

"I…we can't do this." Pepper sat up and do did Tony, albeit reluctantly.

"We can't?"

"No I mean…not so soon." Pepper rubbed her face. "We need to wait, take it slow." She told him and he nodded, seeing her point. He didn't want to rush things and have her get the wrong impression, that he wasn't serious, that she wasn't as important as he said she was. They would wait. "You're okay?"

"Oh yeah I'm great." He laughed slightly and rubbed his head. "I think I'm just going to take a cold shower and go to bed then." Tony got up and Pepper pulled herself up with the help of his hand. She leaned up and kissed him softly. "You're not helping, Pepper." Tony growled softly and spanked her ass. She jumped and just followed him up to his room, which surprised him a little. But why would he complain. "I thought we weren't doing this." He commented as they got to his large master bedroom.

"We're not but I need a shirt to sleep in." Pepper said and took off her top and tossed it into his hamper and then caught Tony just sitting on the bed, watching. "Hey, close you eyes or go into the other room and change." She ordered with a wave of her hand.

"This is my room." He glared.

"Close your eyes. I'm too tired to go anywhere else." Pepper told him and grabbed a Black Sabbath tee shirt and took off her bra and slipped the shirt on and then wiggled out of her skirt. As she was doing so, Tony opened one eye and caught Pepper adjusting her panties and then he saw a glimpse of it.

Her tattoo!

But he could only see a bit of a black blur before it was promptly covered and she turned around to see Tony covering his eyes like some innocent little boy. The rest of the night ended rather well. The two exchanged a few more kisses and Pepper went to stay in a guest bedroom before Tony got too excited again. When the next morning came Tony was wise not to bring it up. Pepper resumed her work and so did Tony but the two of them agreed that once life cleared up a little, that a date would be in their future. And life didn't clear up for a while, at least until Stane had been dealt with and both Tony and Pepper knew a vacation, not just a date, would be necessary. Coulson brought up a yacht which got the genius thinking but Pepper's expression said it all. Not yet. So after the big press conference, he headed into his town car and saw Pepper ready to strangle him. "You're Iron Man?" She repeated.

"News to you?"

"Tony! You just made my life a thousand times more difficult." Pepper groaned. "I'm never going to have time for a date. Not until I'm dead!" She huffed, her phone had been ringing and buzzing non stop ever since Tony revealed his superhero secret identity. Tony laughed and kissed her softly.

"Let's just both play dead for a while at my place." That comment earned him a smack in the stomach. "Ow! Iron Man doesn't like naughty girls." He smirked to her as Happy drove them back up to Malibu. He leaned over and pinned her back against the seat, his hands holding onto her wrists, keeping them pinned above her head against the leather. His head dipped down and attacked her throat, sucking and biting, letting his tongue wash over her sweet skin. "I should bring you to justice." He snickered against her skin.

Pepper didn't want to play along because it was horrible but one small side of it was kind of amusing. "Mmm, impossible. Your tricks won't work against me, Iron Man." Pepper taunted as he moved to straddle her, hips pressing hard into her, letting her know just how hard said iron was at the moment. She arched her back and parted her lips, a muted moan escaping as he sucked hard on the bottom of her throat. "Oh god…" She moaned as she bucked her body against his but he was unrelenting and moved his lips to hers and kissed her deeply. His tongue slipped into her eager mouth, all while this was happening, Happy just kept his eyes on the road and quickly parked once they were back at Tony's house. Happy honked the horn a few times and Tony lifted his head and saw he was home.

"Perfect." He grabbed Pepper and pulled her out with him and headed for the front door. "Thanks." Tony just waved to Happy who didn't look very happy. Once inside, Tony pushed Pepper back against the door and turned her around so she was pressed up against it while his hands roamed her sides, working their way down to her round ass. "Now I'm no Sherlock so I must find out this way."

"What?!" Pepper exclaimed, she knew what he was doing and there was no way she would let him see it. She pushed him back and ran down to the lab, hoping to get JARVIS to help fend him off. She hurried down the steps and frantically entered the code but Tony came down and told JARVIS to shut down the system and to not give Pepper entry to his workshop. He then trapped her against the cold glass door which had been recently repaired and leaned down and nipped her lower lip.

"I will see it, Ms. Potts. Company policy." Tony smirked and moved his hands to pulled up her black tight dress.

"No it's not." She trembled against the glass and the hot blooded man.

"Shhh." He whispered and turned her around as he pulled down her black panties and then let out a gasp. "Ms. Potts!" Tony exclaimed and stepped back. "I had no idea you would grace your perfect little ass with my logo." Tony grinned and moved back and placed a palm on her cheek. Giving it a squeeze, he then pulled her panties back up and helped her fix her dress. Pepper turned around, her face bright red. Probably from embarrassment as well as anger. Possibly arousal as well? Yes, Pepper Potts had on the Stark Industries logo and everything. It had been imprinted there when her friends claimed that Tony Stark owned her ass night and day anyway. And now she would have to work with him forever it seemed. What company would want someone who has a tattoo of her ex-company's logo on their ass? Tony started laughing and Pepper just folded her arms.

"It's not funny."

"Yes it is." He insisted. "Your ass is so mine, Pepper. I love it." Her face turned even more red, even more so than her hair color. "I think it's cute really, you've got my name on you. This prove we'll be together." he smiled and pulled her into his arms. "You belong to Stark Industries but more importantly, you belong with me, Pepper Potts. Even if you regret your drunken decision…I promise to make you believe it was the best one you ever made." He kissed her softly. She smiled slowly, but surely and looked up to him.

"You mean it?" Pepper asked him.

Tony nodded and let them both inside his lab. "I do. Iron Man would never let his woman down." He laughed and Pepper grabbed a wrench ready to smack him silly.

"Stop calling yourself that." Pepper complained as she ran after Tony who pranced off to hide from his peppery personal assistant who was now armed and dangerous. "If anyone's a hero, if anyone's Iron Man, it's me." She said. Tony raised his head from where he was hiding and laughing to himself.

"You can be Iron Woman, you'll get your own suit and everything, Potts." He said as she found him and sat next to him behind one of his many shiny cars.

"Really?"

"Yep." He then grabbed the tool from her and slid it away and pulled her into his arms and kissed her head. "We have each others backs after all, it's only logical." He told her. Something told him that their relationship would be something personal, meaningful and important. It was already, but this time their impressions made would be a bit more permanent. Pepper smiled and told him that she would have to come with a name herself though. He nodded and the two got up and decided to take the day off, it had been busy enough and their date was long overdue. And as they headed into the restaurant, all eyes turned to the couple, Tony just patted Pepper's ass and they moved along as if no one else matter. And no one else did for that night. Tony has still been the only one to have seen her personal tattoo which she now can look at without filling up with self-hate. And Pepper is the only woman Tony looks at, thinks about, and cares for. Because their love, once it's inked, it's ever permanent. And ever lovely through any battle.


End file.
